Echidna
Echidna is a half woman-half snake Monster from Greek Mythology. Known as the "Mother of Monsters," she created several of the infamous Monsters in Myth with her former companion and lover, the terrible Typhon. When Typhon challenged Zeus for dominion over the Cosmos, he was defeated and permanently imprisoned beneath Mount Etna; Echidna was spared by Zeus, leading her to flee from the surface and reside underground in a cave. She was ultimately trapped there when the Amazons were charged with sealing all Monsters underground and preventing their escape to the surface. Imprisoned, Echidna seeks revenge against the Amazons, desiring to return to her former glory of terrifying the world with her children. History Ancient Mythology Echidna and Typhon both existed in ancient times in Greece, when the world was dominated by events surrounding Gods, Heroes, and terrifying Creatures. Echidna was one of these fearsome creatures, though rarely did she show herself and kill humans herself; she left most of that to her husband, the incredibly powerful, giant serpentine humanoid hybrid creature Typhon. Instead, she spent most of her time in safety and protection, where occasionally the two would mate and procreate their kind, filling the world with their Monster children; among them includes Orthrus, Cerberus, and the Lernaean Hydra most famously, but also the Chimera, Ceto, and other Monsters. At some point, Typhon rose up in defiance and desired to control all of creation with Echidna at his side, in order to dominate the universe with Monsters and rule all. He challenged Zeus to battle, and though he was fierce and mighty, Typhon was defeated by Zeus's powerful use of the Thunderbolt. In retaliation, Zeus imprisoned the Monster beneath Mount Etna for eternity; however, he allowed Echidna to live freely. She remained active for a time before she choose to retreat from the surface, as Heroes were rising up to fight back against Monsters. Echidna managed to hide in a cavern deep beneath the ground, completely undetected from the surface dwellers. Hiding beneath As the generations of Heroes knew about Echidna, many sought her out to slay her and prevent more creatures from replacing those they would slay. Very few came even close to finding the cave system she was hiding in; fewer still would successfully navigate it before starving or dying some other terrible death, leading a rare handful of Heroes to manage to find her. Of those few, many of them were slain in combat by her physical prowess and monstrous attacks; the rare couple that tickled her fancy, seducing them to stay with her and become her lover. These unfortunate fellows would never return to the surface, being used by Echidna to breed until she starved and dehydrated them from repeated sessions of intimacy. Trapped underground Eventually, the Amazons were charged with sealing all Monsters beneath the Earth and making sure they never returned to the surface. Because of this, Echidna was trapped within her cave, unable to escape lest she try her luck against the war-trained Amazonian women who had numbers on their side and great physicality comparable to the Heroes of the past. Thus, her ambition grew similar to her former mate Typhon; she desired to escape the surface and return the world to its former existence where Monsters roamed among men, doing as they wish and slaying anything that got in their way, and with her their mother, she would rule over them and the men that would be her cattle. Meeting the Princess After thousands of years of being trapped underground, Echidna, with her three Gorgon daughters Medusa, Euryale and Stheno, were finally met with an interesting trespasser. Medusa reported that an Amazon had found her way into the cave, and instead of fighting, consented to sexual pleasure with her. Echidna was impressed with her daughter's successful enticement, and beckoned her children to await the Amazon's return. The group was finally visited by the surface-dweller all together, the first Echidna had seen in a very long time: Diana Prince, the daughter of Amazon Queen Hyppolyta and a direct descendant of Zeus himself. Desiring her Godlike potential and wanting to corrupt her seeming purity, Echidna persuaded Diana to stay in the cave a while; Diana requested to reacquaint herself with Medusa and make love to her, to which Echidna allowed only if she would also share her love with her other daughters as well as herself. Diana complied and first slept with the three Gorgons, one each night, before entering Echidna's chamber to share passion with her. Echidna was quite happy with the arrangement; seducing and having sex with a daughter of Zeus that reigned supreme, the Queen of the Amazons that trapped her, a curious woman who's wonder was like a little girl that didn't know what danger she was in. She was quite satisfied with their love-making, and was very satisfactory to Diana herself. She was surprised to notice Diana in deep thought, and correctly surmised that the Amazon was imagining having children with her. Echidna explained it was not physically possible as Diana was a woman, though she had her agree to find some power in her adventures on the surface that would give them the ability to procreate. The pair then slept with each other happily. Secret passion About a week after Diana's arrival, Echidna beckoned the Amazon to return to the surface so as to avoid suspicion. The two were reluctant to leave each other, as Diana had come to love her time with the Gorgons and Echidna herself. However, Echidna bestowed her with their secret mission, reminding the Amazon of their mutual desire to find the means to allow them to procreate with each other so that Diana could return to Echidna and be her lover. Echidna then used her magic and planted the mission in Diana's mind with a kiss, making her a sleeper agent for their desires so that no one would ever know what happened and that whenever Diana found what was needed, she would return to Echidna and fulfill their desires. She was then left in the cave, awaiting Diana's return. Personality According to these tales, the "terrible" and "lawless" Typhon, "was joined in love to Echidna, the maid with glancing eyes" and she bore "fierce offspring" with him. After Typhon's defeat by a hero, she resided beneath the secret parts of Golarion, deep down under a hollow rock far from the deathless gods and mortal men where she has dwelled ever since, carrying off the unfortunate who venture down in exploration and never return. Since being forced to abandon her Monster lover Typhon, Echidna has occupied her attention to others she can encapsulate as her new lovers. Still breeding as effectively as she did in Mythological times, she tends to soothe potential mates in heroes and slayers before trying to kill them, unless she happens to have grown attached to a particular mate. Even then, she doesn't always kill her victims, sometimes preserving multiple suitors to produce different offspring. Though adventurers sought to hunt and eliminate her, all who have reached Echidna never again saw the light of day, either being slain by her or one of her offspring or spirited into a sense of attachment to her, vulnerable to her machinations before she finishes them herself. She prefers males in order to breed but doesn't shy away from female partners she finds delectable. She is adept in seducing women as well as men. Appearance Echidna is a Monster with the upper body of a beautiful maiden and the lower body of a huge snake. Her human half is irresistible and gorgeous, her beauty unlike anything produced by mortal men nor the undying Gods. She possesses long brown hair flowing loose and free, reaching halfway down her upper back, with alluring brown eyes that can catch a man's gaze and keep it fixed to her. Her smile, soft and tender with smooth pearly white teeth, draws others in as tightly as the constriction of her coiling tail. Her snake half is several feet long, great and awful, with emerald green scales on the outside and tan abdominal ridges across the underside. Whenever making her first appearance to others, Echidna dons herself with clothing and jewelry. However, she is much more comfortable in her natural nudity. Perhaps as a mockery to heroes, Echidna wields armor and weapons made of Elysian Bronze, a material that is known for its potency against Monsters. Having lived thousands of years, Echidna is as undying as the Gods, not growing old in any of her days. She remains as beautiful as she was feared to be in ancient Myths. Physical Traits Abilities Being a Monster, Echidna is much more physically powerful than a human, being stronger, faster, tougher, and harder to kill. Her strength is such that she can quickly kill a man by constricting them with her snake body or beat them to death within seconds with her bare hands and tail slap. She possesses incredibly fast healing as well, able to restore her body to normal after one night of sleep regardless of how many cuts or bruises she sustains. In addition, her human-looking teeth and nails are very capable of inflicting damage, her claw swipes able to slice through flesh like a lion and her teeth able to tear whole limbs from bodies with frightening ease. Should the physical trauma not be enough to stop her foes, her teeth and claw attacks can inflict her enemies with poison. Her blood is also poisonous, irritating skin on contact and being deadly if ingested. Biological Reproduction Echidna possesses the unique ability to mate with any man and produce any kind of Monster from their union. Curiously, despite being a Monstrous Humanoid with the lower body of a large snake, Echidna is compatible with either Monsters, as in the case of Typhon, or Humans, as in the case of any man that strikes her fancy. Even though her lower anatomy is far different from a Human, her upper body being beautiful is generally enough to lure hateful killers to be calm and close with her. If a hero is particularly resilient, she can use her soft voice and sweet words or enhance her seductive nature with substances, poisons, or magic items and spells. Very rarely does she ever have to force herself upon a victim and rape them, almost always succeeding in lulling them into mutual, consensual sex. The point at which her human and snake halves meet is just below the pelvis, enabling her anatomy to resemble a woman's even with her reproductive organs. It is said that though her Monstrous appearance ought to be disgusting and evil, anyone whom she receives in her chamber is granted pleasure beyond their imagination, her body feeling unlike any other woman ever before. Those that might be able to escape her clutches would regard other women being nowhere near in comparison, finding the memory of her as undying as her and the desire to return to her coils almost painfully unshakable. If her companion happens to be human, a sexual session with Echidna has a significant chance of sterilizing her mate, making them unable to reproduce with any other woman; the reproductive ability decreases with repeated sessions, thus ensuring Echidna's lovers can only have sex and produce offspring with her alone. When she does breed, Echidna's pregnancies have varying lengths depending on partner. More powerful monsters made with Typhon had a few months between sex and birth, though her sexual sessions with humans typically has her birth their offspring within a day or two after their night of passion. In any case, her children can be any kind of Monster with a near unlimited variety in features and capabilities. Echidna can birth them live or by laying an egg, depending on the Monster type. Equipment When forced to do battle, Echidna is a ferocious fighter and has stockpiled Monster-slaying weapons gathered from the Heroes she's killed as a mockery of them. Breastplate This finely crafted breastplate protects Echidna's upper torso with a single piece of sculpted metal, similar to the core piece of a suit of full plate. Her arms and shoulders, crest, and backside are not protected by this armor. Despite its sturdiness, its open areas make it inferior to complete suits of metal armor, but still an improvement over most non-metal armors. This breastplate is specially crafted in a manner that allows extra maneuverability for some physical activities. As it is made of Elysian Bronze, Echidna is protected against the natural weapons or unarmed strikes of Magical Beasts and Monstrous Humanoids. Gladius This finely crafted shortsword is Echidna's primary close combat weapon, having a heavier blade than a standard shortsword while its shorter length makes it easier and quicker to handle up close. Made of Elysian Bronze, it deals increased damage against Magical Beasts and Monstrous Humanoids. Shield This finely crafted Light round Shield is specifically crafted with a series of straps to allow Echidna to ready or stow it on her back quickly and easily. Echidna can bash an opponent; used this way, it is an effective bludgeoning weapon. This shield is designed for throwing and has specially designed straps that allow Echidna to unclasp and throw it as a ranged attack. As it is made of Elysian Bronze, the Shield defends against the natural weapons or unarmed strikes of Magical Beasts and Monstrous Humanoids. Shortbow This finely crafted Composite Shortbow must be used with two hands, and is usable while mounted. It can fire arrows of many different kinds. Its design requires its wielder to have great strength in order to fire it. Category:Female